POWERGRAMS

Castile, director of the state workforce training and development agency AIDT, and deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. "With the workforce issues confronting all states today, having Alabama Power involved in many of our initiatives to find and implement solutions represents a huge advantage for us," Castile said. "I welcome and congratulate Jeff in his new role." In 2020, Peoples was named to the U.S. Council on Competitiveness' advisory committee for the National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers. "Addressing the challenges facing innovation in the U.S. and developing a workforce prepared for future jobs is essential for economic growth," Peoples said at the time. "This work aligns with Alabama Power's focus on building economic and workforce development partnerships that strengthen communities and elevate Alabama. The work of the commission is a catalyst for the U.S. to be more competitive internationally." His work on the board of the Alabama Power Foundation is also centered on his desire to help people. Peoples played instrumental roles in the creation of the HVAC training program at Bevill State Community College in Jasper and in lineworker training programs at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery, and Jefferson State Community College and Lawson State Community College in Birmingham. "With Jeff's approach to economic development and community impact – you can tell that he sees names and faces," said Leigh Davis, Alabama Power's senior vice president for Marketing and Economic Development. "Some people think about these things in the abstract, in terms of the collective good. But Jeff talks about the impact on families and individuals whose lives are improved by the projects we work on, the initiatives we support. Numbers and percentages are important because they demonstrate the overall impact, and Jeff can tell you the numbers, too. More often, though, when he talks about opportunity, it's more personal than that." For students like N'Kiyah Johnson, enrolling in the lineworker training program at Lawson State Community College was life-changing. Today, she is an apprentice lineman with Alabama Power's Patton Chapel crew in Birmingham. "It's a big accomplishment at a young age," Johnson said. "For me to have it figured out and with a career at my age, I feel like I'm ahead." Peoples' devotion to bettering the lives of people throughout the state can be seen through his support of the fiber infrastructure that is being deployed for grid reliability and enabling rural broadband opportunities and partnerships. This deployment has mostly occurred in rural and underserved areas, paving the way for high-speed internet service and an improved quality of life through its application to benefit education, business, healthcare and more. In the same time period that Alabama Power has increased its fiber expansion, the state has gone from 47th nationwide in broadband connectivity to ranking 38th in 2022. Broadband expansion strengthens the power grid, providing greater reliability for the benefit of Alabama Power customers, but also elevating the entire state. Peoples embraces Alabama Power's longtime commitment to economic development because he knows how it improves the lives of individuals and families. He is chairman of the board of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. His commitment to people is hardly ending now that he is CEO. In fact, it's broadening and intensifying. Within his first weeks as CEO, Peoples established his top 10 priorities for the company. Half of the priority categories directly involve employees or customers (employee experience, customer experience, inclusion, workforce development and state and local engagement). The other five categories speak to improving the lives of Alabamians (economic development, connectivity, electric vehicles, clean energy and regulatory engagement). March 3 was National Employee Appreciation Day, and it was one of the first times since the pandemic began that Alabama Power held a large, in-person celebration for employees at Corporate Headquarters. The smile on Peoples' face, being with his co-workers, said it all. "We're going to do more of this," he told the crowd. "The work you do is recognized and appreciated. I'm honored to be on your team." Alabama Power has a man of the people as leader – and he is aptly named. Stay tuned. By Michael Tomberlin Peoples speaks to employees about the Council on Culture and Inclusion. 5 Peoples joins graduates of the Jefferson State lineworker training program who were recruited through the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama and are now ready to enter the job market. Johnson

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